Fermentation of sugars and polysaccharides into alcohol is a rapidly developing technology for producing liquid fuel, such as gasohol or E85, which are the most common examples in the United States and contain varying amounts of ethanol and gasoline. Billions of gallons of fuel ethanol are produced every year through the fermentation of grains, plants and feedstock, primarily corn. Other types of feedstock such as sugar care and cellulose are also increasing in importance.
Ethanol producers have found scale deposits on processing equipment at several stages of ethanol processing. These scale deposits are known to impede heat transfer and flow, and interfere with the proper operation of mechanical devices used in ethanol processing. The deposits tend to be most severe or tenacious on hot surfaces, and where the pH of the processing liquid is highest (about 4.5), but deposits may also form at lower pH values and on cooler surfaces. There remains a need for methods and compositions for reducing this scale formation.